Carbohydrates and sugar: how do carbs affect the quality of nighttime sleep and why is it hard to get a good night's sleep after a heavy dinner with dessert?

The quality of nighttime rest directly depends on the nutrients entering the body in the evening. If, after a hard day at work, you eat a carbohydrate-heavy dinner with a lot of sugar, it will cause not only an evening energy boost, but also serious metabolic fluctuations at night. Sharp spikes and drops in blood sugar activate the production of stress hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline, which the body uses to stabilize sugar levels.

These hormones are natural antagonists of melatonin, the sleep hormone. As a result, a person may toss and turn for a long time, have trouble falling asleep, or wake up in the middle of the night with a racing heartbeat. In addition, an excess of simple carbohydrates at night forces the digestive system to work overtime, interfering with the full recovery of the nervous system, which is critical for IT professionals engaged in mental labor.

To ensure deep and quality sleep, the evening meal should be moderate and well-thought-out in terms of its carbohydrate composition.

Following these rules will help avoid nighttime awakenings, reduce anxiety levels, and wake up in the morning truly refreshed and ready to solve complex architectural challenges without liters of morning coffee.